U.S. Air Force
Every UASFeed story on U.S. Air Force — across defense, counter-UAS, industry, commercial, policy, and tech, newest first.
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Counter-UAS
The Air Force Wants Its Own Flak Guns: New RFI Seeks a Medium-Caliber Ground Gun to Shield Overseas Bases From Drones and Cruise Missiles
A Sept. 3 Air Force RFI asks industry for a ground-based, medium-caliber gun firing cheap rounds at subsonic cruise missiles and Group 1-5 drones, the latest sign the service intends to defend its own bases rather than wait on the Army.
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Counter-UAS
Air Force Wants EchoShield Radars for a Search-and-Rescue Squadron in Italy — But Has No Money Yet
A Sept. 4 Air Force solicitation seeks four Echodyne EchoShield counter-drone radars for the 57th Rescue Squadron's HH-60Ws at Aviano, Italy — with an unusual admission built into the paperwork: the money isn't there yet.
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Counter-UAS
Lasers on the Flight Line: USAFE-AFAFRICA Fields the Compact Laser Weapon System Across Europe and Africa
US Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa says it has assessed and deployed the Compact Laser Weapon System to undisclosed bases across two continents, and tested a ground-launched APKWS interceptor good to six kilometers — the first public confirmation that directed energy is emplaced at USAFE installations.
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Counter-UAS
Echodyne Bets Big on the Counter-Drone Boom With a $40M Radar Plant
Echodyne is opening a $40M plant near Seattle in July to build at least 30,000 counter-UAS radars a year — a roughly five-fold jump — because orders are outrunning production across the counter-drone market.
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Counter-UAS
Shotgun vs. Sniper Rifle: How HPM and Laser C-UAS Weapons Actually Work
Two directed-energy technologies are competing to replace the $2-million missile shot against $500 drones — high-power microwave systems that blanket swarms in a single burst, and high-energy lasers that burn targets one at a time. The physics of each determines where they win and where they fail.
